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Where is God in the '08 election?

TAYLORS, S.C. (BP)--In recent weeks and months I have been contacted by a large number of presidential candidates. I have spent time with several of them in person and talked on the phone with others. I have made the pledge that I will attempt to share Christ with each and every one before this process is over. To have the opportunity to do so is an awesome opportunity for which I thank the Lord.

Many Southern Baptists have been very confused during this primary season. It is a situation unlike we previously have seen. I have received many requests for endorsements. I have been pressured, along with my friend James Dobson, to support candidates that perhaps would not be our first choice so as to stop momentum of certain candidates and to propel the momentum of others. Many leaders have already endorsed certain candidates.

I was in a meeting recently where Dr. Henry Blackaby was present. One of the things he said during his presentation was that we must not forget where God is in all of this. Does God care about this next election? Our belief is that He does. Does God direct the outcome of this election? At this point, many of us sit back and scratch our heads. Blackaby unequivocally stated that he believed God was in control and that according to the book of Romans, God will control who is placed in authority over us. All of us would recognize that this does not mean that God does not use believers in the political process. Obviously, God does not remove our responsibility as we affirm His sovereignty.

I call on Southern Baptists to pray like never before. Pray that God will bless us with a leader who would reflect both the values as well as the faith of evangelical believers. We are living in a society that is increasingly antithetical to the way of Christ. For us to be among the group of people who claim an exclusive Gospel places us in the crosshairs of many in our society who wish to disparage us, to sideline us, and/or to relegate us as a fanatical fringe of the political process. Pray that God will grant us the favor of a leader who will clearly stand up for life, for the family and for Christ.

Frank Page is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C.

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